Standing Guard
by susanatc
Summary: A companion piece for "Someone To Watch Over Me." This one is inside Castle's head from the other side of the door.


_This is for Thump, Corlando and Nathan Fan. Thanks for the encouragement. Once again thanks go to SD for the title. It's a good thing she's around to help me out with those._

_This is a companion piece to my story "Someone To Watch Over Me." Inside Castle's head on the other side of the door._

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Castle watched as Kate disappeared into her bedroom, and then he stretched out on the couch. He'd really expected her to fight much harder about allowing him to stay with her. Actually, he'd expected her to throw him out in no uncertain terms. The fact that she hadn't proved not only that she was exhausted, but also that she actually trusted him.

Granted, she'd thrown that warning out there about sleeping with a gun, but he knew it was just for show. If she'd had any doubts as to his intentions, there's no way she would've let him stay in her apartment. He really was there just to offer protection. She was way too vulnerable right now to even consider making a move on her.

A smile played across his lips as he replayed their conversation in his mind. She refused to admit it, but he could see it in her eyes. Kate Beckett was jealous. As horrible of a person as it might make him, he had to admit that it was rather refreshing. Having listened to her spend the better part of the last few days making sure that everyone knew they weren't sleeping together, it had been encouraging to hear her stake a claim on him.

As he'd fiddled with the "toys" in the back of Agent Shaw's SUV earlier, he'd kept his ears tuned in to the conversation going on between her and Beckett. When Shaw had asked why she kept him around, his mind had instantly flashed back to a similar conversation between the two of them. "I've gotten used to you pulling on my pigtails," she'd told him. "I have a hard job, Castle, and having you around makes it a little more…fun."

He couldn't help himself with his dig about theirs being the most sexless relationship he'd ever had. While it was technically true, it wasn't realistic. They might not be having sex, but what they did have between them was something that went much deeper than just sexual attraction. And whether she was ready to admit it or not, the sexual attraction was there too. If it wasn't, she wouldn't respond to his teasing.

Castle glanced over at the bedroom door and couldn't help but wonder what she slept in. In his books, Nikki Heat liked to sleep naked. He wondered if Beckett did the same. He shook his head to clear it of the images the mere thought conjured up as he reminded himself that they weren't at that place in their relationship - not yet anyway. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that they would be someday though. Kate Beckett was the most fascinating woman he'd ever known in his life and he'd like nothing more than to spend the rest of his life learning more about her.

He grinned again as he sat up on the couch and kicked off his shoes. He was quite certain that when they did finally reach that point in their relationship, the sex was going to be out of this world. There was no way that it could be anything else. Beckett was too passionate for it not to carry over to the bedroom.

As he wondered around the apartment, double checking that the windows were locked and the chain secure on the door, he thought about her parting remarks after that first case. He'd teasingly told her that it would've been great between them, and her whispered, "You have no idea" had quite literally had his blood boiling. After nearly two years of shadowing her and doing his best to get through her defenses, he now understood that she'd been right that day. He really had been clueless about how great it would be between the two of them. In a way, he was glad she'd turned him down then. At the time, he'd been hoping for nothing more than sex with a beautiful woman. Now, he was hoping for a relationship with her. One built on friendship, trust, and respect. They were slowly working their way towards it.

As he walked past her bedroom door, he paused just long enough to listen to the sounds of her settling down for the night. He saw the light go out beneath the door and he smiled as he turned away from it. He grabbed an afghan off the back of a chair and turned off the light before returning to his position on the couch.

He'd been serious about wanting to protect her. He knew that she was quite capable of taking care of herself, but he felt as if maybe they'd turned a corner in their relationship by her acceptance of his desire to take care of her. She might not need it, but he did.

As he closed his eyes and settled down for some much needed sleep, he couldn't help but smile. He was actually sleeping on Kate Beckett's couch. He would make sure to follow it up with a wonderful breakfast in the morning. If he proved to be a good houseguest, he might eventually get invited back.

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